Galaxy · Elliptical
NGC 1131
NGC 1131 is a galaxy in the direction of the constellation Perseus, 249.8 million light-years away.
| Type | Elliptical |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Perseus |
| Distance | 249.8 million light-years (76.59 Mpc) |
| Diameter | 70,200 light-years · 0.8 × the Milky Way |
| Absolute magnitude | magnitude −20.73 |
| Apparent magnitude | magnitude 13.69 |
| Luminosity | 0.86 × the Milky Way |
| Right ascension (J2000) | 2h 54m 34.0s |
| Declination (J2000) | +41° 33′ 32″ |
| Source | 2MASS Redshift Survey (Huchra et al. 2012) |
In the sky
A telescope is needed to see it: its apparent magnitude is 13.69. Visible from the whole Northern Hemisphere and south to latitude 48° S. North of latitude 48° N it never sets. It stands highest at midnight in November, the best time to observe it.
Through a telescope from Earth
Light's journey
The light you see tonight set out 250 million years ago. At that time complex animals were spreading through the seas and over the land; there were no dinosaurs yet. At the speed of Voyager 1, the fastest craft leaving the Solar System (16.9 km per second), the trip would take 4,431.3 billion years.